Archive for November, 2011

It’s no secret that the No Bull Business Blog is a big fan and advocate of New Hampshire’s farming industry. The New Hampshire dairy industry impacts state and local economies with more than $141 million in total output, 3,717 jobs and more than $19 million in labor income. Dairy farming also helps support many businesses related to the production of milk such as feed stores, milking equipment suppliers and tractor dealerships.

Thankfully, there’s an incredible organization that works tireless to ensure that the dairy industry remains active and vibrant in the state. The mission of Granite State Dairy Promotion (GSDP) is to increase the sale and use of milk and other dairy products through promotional activities, nutrition education, and to enhance the image of the dairy industry in New Hampshire.

Now, for the second year, GSDP is organizing its very creative and absolutely yummy signature event, the New Hampshire’s Own Macaroni and Cheese Bake Off. Below you’ll see the press release for the Bake Off – I urge the New Hampshire business community to support this event through sponsorship and citizens to go and enjoy some of the best comfort food the Granite State has to offer. Heck, you can even cast a vote for your own favorite in the “People’s Choice” category. Save up your appetite – this is going to be a good one!!

New Hampshire’s Own Macaroni and Cheese Bake Off Slated for January

Once again, Granite State Dairy Promotion is on a quest to find NH’s best macaroni and cheese. The competition is open to all who think they can impress NH’s dairy farmers, the leading experts on all things cheese. On January 14th, 2012, New Hampshire’s Own Macaroni & Cheese Bake-Off will be held at the Holiday Inn in Concord, NH. The event begins at 2:00pm.

Contestants can enter into one of four categories; best traditional, most creative exotic, best restaurant/café or best NH made. Contestants entering the NH Made category must use 100% NH made milk and cheese in their dish.

Entries will be judged on texture, taste and overall cheesiness. Each category will have 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. The winner of each category will move on for their chance to be the 2012 Grand Champion of Macaroni and Cheese.

Local celebrity judges will include Chef Jeffrey Paige of Cotton Restaurant; Chef Edward Aloise of Republic Café and Bistro; Charlie Burke, President of the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection, Helen Ryba of Good Eats NH, Angel Roy of the Hippo Press, Kristy Stephens Ammann owner of Butters Fine Food and Wine and of course, NH’s dairy farmers.

The winner of the “NH Made” category will have his or her recipe prepared by Master Chef Jeffrey Paige and featured on Cotton’s menu.

For those who would like to taste and not bake, tickets will be at the door for $10. The public will have their shot at judging and cast their vote for the “People’s Choice award.”

New Hampshire’s second annual Macaroni & Cheese Bake Off promises to warm your soul on a cold January day. Get those recipe books out NH and show us what you’ve got. Deadline to enter is December 21st. For rules and registration information, visit www.nhdairypromo.org.

Functional beverages—beverages that are designed to provide health benefits that go beyond general nutrition—are the fastest-growing category in the nutrition industry. Liquid Health, a Deerfield, New Hampshire-based company has brought a new twist to this market with the PowerCap, a two-piece bottlecap with a storage chamber that keeps nutritional supplements and additives stable and fresh. When the consumer twists or pushes the cap, these ingredients are infused into a consumable liquid, such as water. This allows beverages companies to work with ingredients they cannot work with in standard ready-to-drink functional beverages.

In recognition of this innovative technology, Liquid Health has won the Innovation Rocks! Award from the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development and Rock 101 (WGIR-FM) for the month of November.

With the PowerCap, there is no need to heat the bottles when filling during manufacturing. This results in a lower energy cost since each hot-fill bottle uses approximately half a kilowatt hour more than a PowerCap bottle—which is equal to running a small window unit air condition for an hour. With hundreds of millions of beverage bottles used each year, conversion to PowerCap by even some of the functional beverage industry would significantly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Cold-filled bottles also are lighter and use less plastic, and require less energy to make.

Storing the ingredients in the cap results in extended shelf life for the beverage, since ingredients are only released when the consumer opens the cap. This is especially important with ingredients like probiotics, which have a very short shelf life once they’ve been introduced into a liquid.
“It’s so exciting to see relatively young New Hampshire company develop a product line that is innovative and ‘green,’” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Chris Way. “The PowerCap is already being used by Last Shot, Nutrelle, VitaHydrate and Fresh Healthy Stuff.”

Liquid Health, which was founded in 2002, is located in the abi Innovation HUB, home to many of Manchester’s most innovative start-up companies. For more information about Power Caps, visit www.mypowercap.com.

“Innovation Rocks!” is an initiative sponsored by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development in coordination with Rock 101 (WGIR-FM) to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of New Hampshire innovators.

Have you ever wondered about how a competitor received a contract with a federal or state agency?

Does the thought of selling your product or service to state, local or government agencies cause you to sweat and worry about an endless stream of expensive and complicated paperwork?

If you wanted to begin, where would you even start and who could you ask for honest advice?

On December 15th, the New Hampshire office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the NH Procurement Technical Assistance Program (NH-PTAP) will present their first of several “Everything You Want to Know About Government Contracting But Were Afraid to Ask!” roundtable sessions for small business owners or key employees in small businesses who are thinking about joining the hundreds of New Hampshire small businesses who sold over $275 million dollars in goods and services to federal agencies.

According to Dave Pease, Program Manager of the NH-PTAP, “The companies that have achieved success in selling to federal or state agencies or large federal contractors have several things in common. They all have asked questions, they all have experienced frustration at some point and they all have persevered with a winning bid or proposal.”

At the upcoming roundtable business owners will hear contracting specialists discuss real and perceived barriers that businesses encounter as well as strategies and supportive resources you can use to overcome barriers and gain access to these opportunities.

Psssssssssssssssstttttt……buy local, buy American and buy often. Here are a few press releases that can assist you in this endeavor.

Make a Difference on Small Business Saturday®

As a proud supporter of Small Business Saturday®, a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, the U.S. Small Business Administration is encouraging every American to support small businesses by doing some of their holiday shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at small businesses.

This year’s Small Business Saturday® is Nov. 26, 2011.

“Small businesses are the foundation of our economy – half of America’s workers either own or work for a small business,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “Small Business Saturday® is an opportunity to show our support for our friends and neighbors who throughout the year are growing our local economy, as well as supporting many local initiative and organizations.”

Nov. 26 marks the second annual Small Business Saturday®, a day to support the local small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. First there was Black Friday, and then Cyber Monday, and now Small Business Saturday® will help drive shoppers to America’s job creators. Small businesses have generated two out of every three net new jobs over the past 15 years and employ over half of all private sector employees.

For more information on how to support Small Business Saturday® in your area, or to get great Small Business Saturday® marketing tips and resources, check out www.sba.gov/saturday or visit Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday and follow us on Twitter @SBAgov, #SmallBizSat.

NH Made Gifts Available

Our NH Made Stores on I-95 in Hampton are brimming with NH-made food items and handcrafted products. The stores will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving but open Friday, Saturday and Sunday and daily through Christmas. You can also shop online from the convenience of your home at www.nhmade.com and choose “Shop Online.”

The company, whose other location is in Norwood, MA, recently signed a purchase and sales agreement to close on the old FedEx building in the Littleton Industrial Park according to New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Business Development Manager Michael Bergeron who assisted the company with its relocation.

“This is great news for the town of Littleton and we were very happy to help this company secure a New Hampshire location,” Bergeron said. “SNS is a top flight data center and they were certainly impressed with New Hampshire’s low tax environment, lower cost real estate and responsive state and local government.”

“The State of New Hampshire and Littleton welcomed us with open arms,” added SNS President Kevin M. Low. “Michael Bergeron introduced us to all the local key players to make this move happen quickly, including the building landlord, Littleton Industrial Development Corporation, Northern Community Investment Corporation, Grafton County Economic Development Council, FairPoint Communications, and Littleton Water and Power. I even got a surprise call from Governor Lynch, all through Bergeron’s coordinated efforts.”

Founded by Low in 2002, SNS supports over 70 managed clients and 350 active accounts around the world. Their services include data center hosting and co-location, storage and back up, disaster recovery, networking and monitoring, telephone support, IP Telephony and managed services including a global helpdesk. For more information on the company and how they can assist businesses with IT needs, please visit www.sns.com or call Brad Mirza at 781-948-1911.

ESPN Analyst Ricky Craven, NASCAR on Fox Lead Pit Reporter Dick Berggren, New Hampshire Motor Speedway General Manager Jerry Gappens…..yep, I was in great company yesterday as a group of race enthusiasts and the media gathered for the announcement of a new North East Motor Sports Museum, which will house a rotating collection of racing memorabilia from New England, New York and eastern Canada.

This project has the possibility of being a huge economic boon to the already thriving Speedway in a state where race fans already have an ongoing love affair with the sport as well as the facility that houses the action.

We at the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development are extremely supportive of our partners at NHMS and urge the business community to support this new museum which will not only bring in additional tourist dollars, but will also help to build a stronger state and regional economy.

Below you’ll find the article about the press conference that ran in today’s Concord Monitor – check it out!

Bacteria beware – a new innovation from a New Hampshire company offers nearly a 100% solution for blocking bacteria from the body! Foss Manufacturing’s new surgical mask won top honors as the New Hampshire High Technology Council’s 2011 Product of the Year (POY).

The Foss Manufacturing team was honored for their accomplishments at last evening's NH High Tech Council 2011 Product of the Year event. Photo by Matt Lomanno.

Foss, a Hampton-based company that produces engineered, non-woven fabrics and specialty syntheticfibers won the 2011 POY award for the SpectraShield 9500 N95 Surgical Respirator Mask. The mask, which features Foss’ revolutionary Fosshield embedded antimicrobial technology, eliminates 99.99% of bacteria on the treated surface within one hour and certain strains of harmful bacteria on contact before they can enter the body.

At the 6th annual event held on November 14th, a large audience that included Governor John Lynch was on hand as the NHHTC honored the top five companies competing for the POY award with Judges Awards. Those five finalists were selected by the judges from a larger pool of candidates in October. The five displayed their products during a reception before the evening event, and then made seven-minute pitches as part of their effort to encourage the audience to vote for their product. The popular vote and previous judging by a panel of business and technology experts were equally weighed, and Foss Manufacturing took top honors for 2011.

Bill Hurst, VP of Business Development at Foss, said he was excited to present the SpectraShield at the POY banquet because, “it provides a unique opportunity to highlight this key breakthrough technology that has a distinct benefit for society.” Speaking about the SpectraShield Mask and Fosshield technology, Hurst said Foss’ focus is, “to not only provide but extend this technology for everyday use for us, our family members, in our clothing, when we travel – there is such a broad range of applications.”

The winner earned the prestigious NHHTC Product of the Year crystal trophy, which was designed by Pepi Hermann. The Foss Manufacturing name will be added to the trophy, and the trophy and an exhibit of the winning product will be on display and the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport for one year.

Companies that have won the Product of the Year award over the past five years were Nanocomp Technologies, UltraVision, Insight Tech Gear, Holase, Incorporated, and Sky-Skan. Major event sponsors include Dyn,Inc, FairPoint, Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson PLLC, Hanover Insurance Group, Sadler Insurance Agency, New England Investment and Retirement, and BAE Systems. For more information go to www.nhhtc.org.

What goes into attracting a business to the Granite State? What are the state’s unique selling points? How does a business recruiter determine which community is the right fit for a prospect?

Michael Bergeron, left, business development manager with the state business resource center talks with Nora Systems Vice President Phil Macy during a tour of the new business in Salem Monday, August 15, 2011. Nashua Telegraph staff photo by Bob Hammerstrom.

In many ways, getting a company interested in expanding or relocating to New Hampshire is like a courtship. Make no mistake – it’s not speed dating. It’s a long process that begins with the initial inquiry or outreach followed by countless meetings, emails, phone calls and detailed analyses. Sometimes the recruiter is dealing strictly with a site selector and never actually even knows who the client is until the deal progresses to the serious stage. Other times, there is an immense amount of hand holding and introductions to partnering state agencies, town officials and real estate brokers.

The Nashua Telegraph has developed a six-part series examining various aspects of the “New Hampshire Advantage” and whether the Granite State has been able to maintain its competitiveness in these areas. Yesterday’s installment centered around New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Business Development Manager Michael Bergeron and the Division’s efforts to make the state an attractive business destination for businesses locally, regionally and globally.

By the end of 2011, it’s estimated that there will be 140 million, plus smart phones in the U.S. With more than 50 percent of all U.S. mobile phone subscribers—and the overwhelming majority of users under age 44—owning a smart phone, businesses can no longer rely solely on a traditional website. A mobile website designed to meet the needs of mobile phone, smart phone and tablet users is a must.

Mike Dolphies of "Cyberspace to Your Place"

Recognizing that fact, the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development will be offering a free seminar titled “The Secrets of Mobile Marketing” to be held December 9th from 9-11 a.m. at the Division’s headquarters, 172 Pembroke Road in Concord.

“Mobile marketing is an essential part of a business’ communications strategy that can’t be ignored,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Communications & Legislative Director Steve Boucher. “With so many potential customers utilizing new technology to access information about products and services, businesses need to become better educated as to how to capture this emerging market.”

The seminar will be led by Michael J. Dolpies of “Cyberspace To Your Place” in Tilton, NH. Dolpies, an expert in mobile marketing who has developed a mobile marketing content management system (CMS) that enables business owners to quickly and easily create a mobile site, is also author of two books “Motion Before Motivation: The Success Secret That Never Fails” and “Street Smart Persuasion, How to Sell More Using The Power of Your Written & Spoken Words,” as well as co-author of “Cyberspace to Your Place: Internet Marketing Secrets for Your Small Business and Professional Practice.” Dolpies frequently addresses business audiences on the subjects of mobile marketing and internet marketing.

Some of the topics Dolpies will cover include the four pillars of mobile marketing, how to use the “mobile internet” for lead generation, the secrets of mobile marketing websites and how to use them, how to design and structure mobile websites and landing pages, and how to use QR (Quick Response) codes.

“Over the last two years we’ve researched and applied mobile marketing to our business and have helped many clients with it,” Dolphies said. “This ‘Fun Shop’ gives you all of this knowledge and experience. It’s going to fun and informative, I guarantee it!”

According to a new report by the Economics and Statistics Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, New Hampshire ranks second in broadband usage in the country at 78 percent, trailing only Utah at 80 percent.

In response to that report, State Broadband Director Carol Miller has issued the following statement:

“Although there is still work to be done to bring connectivity to rural unserved and underserved areas, this report speaks well for NH as a tech savvy state and our embracing of new technologies.

NH has had the reputation of a high tech state in past years. The notion that we were slipping began as more competition for the status materialized. NH is indeed a hotbed for technologies and our universities and state incentives for business have had a major influence on that designation.

NH is a great place for technology businesses. Our biggest assets are qualify of life, lower cost of living, and a dedicated team at the Division of Economic Development under the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. We have it all right here in NH.”

To see a copy of the report, visit esa.doc.gov/Reports/exploring-digital-nation-computer-and-internet-use-home.